The Role of Women in the Lutheran ChurchIn the Bible, in the book of Galatians, Paul writes, "male and female, all are one in Christ Jesus." In other words, there is no distinction in rank between men and women. Whereas in past centuries (and still in some church bodies today), women were held to a lower level, in the ELCA this just isn't so.

Are Women Ordained?Yes. The first women were ordained as pastors in 1970.

Do Lay Women Serve in Worship Services?Yes, and at First Lutheran Church they are very active. They serve as lay readers, communion servers, ushers, directors for musical groups, heads of committees and the council, sacristans (in charge of the worship space) and members. There is no role in the parish a woman cannot take on -- and do well. At First Lutheran, we try to look at where God wants someone to serve; what special abilities and talents God has given that person to do that task. We don't want gender to get in the way.

Is God a Woman?God has no gender, yet contains both genders. God is neither man nor woman, but has both male and female characteristics. This is where we humans get our male and female characteristics, for we are created in the image of God! In the ELCA we believe that God combines those aspects of gender, in a perfect way, into one divine being. Human beings most often come in the divided format: male and female.

So, yes, there are masculine aspects of God (Father, Son, protector, redeemer) and there are feminine aspects of God (Mother, Spirit, protector, nurturer, birther of life). As human beings, our understanding of the divine is limited; we can't fully understand God. But we know that God has characteristics of our human male and female psyches.

For many centuries the Church has relied on the masculine attributes of God in its teaching. Many 21st-century women have difficulty relating to a solely masculine Godhead. So at First Lutheran, we use the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, which has inclusive language (he and she, rather than he; sons and daughters, rather than sons) and we encourage both men and women to expand their understanding of the feminine characteristics of God in their lives.